philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

The Record Industry Is Going After Parody Songs Written By an Algorithm

Songs written by 'Weird A.I. Yancovic' are getting flagged for violating copyright. Its creator says they should be protected by Fair Use.

On May 15, Reidl posted an AI-generated lyric video featuring the instrumental to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” It was taken down on July 14, Reidl tweeted, after Twitter received a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notice for copyright infringement from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents major and independent record companies.

Riedl said his other AI-generated lyric videos posted to Twitter have not been taken down.

The incident raises the question of what role machine learning plays when it comes to the already nuanced and complicated rules of fair use, which allows for the use of a copyrighted work in certain circumstances, including educational uses and as part of a “transformative” work. Fair use also protects parody in some circumstances.

Riedl, whose research focuses on the study of artificial intelligence and storytelling for entertainment, says the model was created as a personal project and outside his role at Georgia Tech.

It’s worth noting, according to the New York Times Weird Al Yankovic asks for permission from an artist before he parodies a song. It appears that the inclusion of the instrumental to “Beat It” is what triggered the takedown notice by IFPI, but Riedl is still convinced his videos are protected under fair use.

... there is a visual transformation but the audio isn't transformed, which she said can make for a harder fair use argument.

See the full story here: https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/m7jpp3/the-record-industry-is-going-after-parody-songs-written-by-an-algorithm